When Grace Aerospace was considering moving its manufacturing operations from New York, Jacksonville was a logical place for a couple of reasons.
First, it put the company closer to its Navy customers, many of whom are at Cecil Commerce Center and Naval Air Station Jacksonville, said Jennifer Connolly, the company’s director of business development.
Second, City Council approved a $332,500 incentives package for the company to relocate those operations from Long Island, N.Y., to a facility near Cecil Commerce Center. The incentives legislation requires Grace to create 25 jobs with an average salary of $50,675 by Dec. 31, 2019.
Executives with Grace Aerospace were in Jacksonville on Thursday to announce the relocation and the expansion of its local operations.
Grace has been in Jacksonville for a couple of years in a small building that serves as a place for customers to review what the company was building.
The production facility will be expanded by more than 15,000 square feet.
Connolly said the expansion allows Grace Aerospace to not only manufacture electrical components but also metal and structural ones.
She said the company needs several types of employees, from skilled technicians to structural and mechanical engineers. Pay could range from $15 an hour to $60,000-$70,000 a year.
Connolly said the city’s “phenomenal” workforce also was a major factor in the relocation.
Retired government and active Navy personnel have a wealth of knowledge about the legacy aircraft company supports, such as F-18s and P3s.
Grace Aerospace’s modern work includes 3-D technology and the company has been approached about unmanned aircraft, Connolly said.
Company president Stephen Carlo said in a news release the move to Jacksonville “just makes sense.” “Locating all our capabilities here in JAX – from engineering to manufacturing, and electrical to structural — allows us to be more accessible and responsive to design changes and often time-sensitive requirements without compromising schedule,” he said.
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